Dusky Sound

Ken & Marg Tustin have been hunting these beasts in Fiordland’s forests since the 1970’s. The creatures are enormously elusive. Of course there are lots of browse, prints, droppings but so far they have managed to come up with a … Continued

Some folks are just downright suicidal, and sometimes I am one of them! In 2009 I had conceived a plan to be the first person (I think) to canoe the mighty remote Seaforth River in Fiordland NZ. I had a … Continued

My favourite airline operates out of Te Anau Fiordland, New Zealand: http://www.wingsandwater.co.nz/ I have flown in to or back from Supper Cove a number of times, so I have a collection of snaps which will maybe whet your appetite to … Continued

You have a big climb and descent today: over a kilometre up and then down again from the Kintail Hut to the Upper Spey Hut. You don’t have to worry. Though it takes me longer now, I did this section … Continued

I start on the track on Monday for ten days. As you travel to work on Monday, you can imagine me at the same time standing on the deck of a small boat (Namu) chugging across beautiful Lake Hauroko en … Continued

Moose frolic in garden sprinkler: A tip for Fiordland moose hunters: I think this short clip well illustrates the need moose have to cool down in warmer weather. In a Fiordland summer, it is really too warm for the average … Continued

It is incredibly difficult. Some ‘easier’ areas (eg along the South Coast Track) are flatter and safer. There are both pigs and deer there. In NZ they have these excellent DOC (‘Dept of Conservation’) huts all over the place (roughly … Continued

Contrary to popular culture, these monsters are NOT a myth, but are alive and well and living in Fiordland. My own observations are that they are quite widely dispersed. This is more than confirmed by Ken Tustin’s Herculean efforts over … Continued

I have been on this track now EIGHT times, first in March 2000; the last time April 2014. I hope it is NOT the last! Other folk go different places, I know, yet I keep returning to this magical place. … Continued

I have encountered this once or twice before (also with the Australian series): Westies Hut, at the end of the South Coast Track is marked in the WRONG position in the DOC and Linz topo maps. It is actually … Continued

Insects can ruin a camping trip. You need a Repellent which works. These guys are the solution. There has been a move by the touchy-feely crowd to bombard us with ‘natural’ ones which will see you eaten alive. Be warned. … Continued

Watched Ken Tustin’s new doco http://www.stealthfilms.co.nz/dvds/dvd005-bundle.html which I mentioned the other day. If you are interested in great scenery, Fiordland, the origin of the moose herd there or just hunting generally you will find something to captivate you here (for … Continued

Venery: This is one of my all-time favourite photos. This was Eddie Herrick circa 1934 in his eponymous creek in Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound, Fiordland NZ with his bull moose. In a moose hunting career in Fiordland which involved Eddie … Continued

It’s been a bad year: I have not spent (much) more than a month sleeping outdoors, away from home this year – still, there are nearly six weeks to go! But I have been HERE (and many other beautiful places) … Continued

And you wonder why, this time of year I get a hankering to once again walk the Dusky Track: See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/insects-can-ruin-a-camping-trip/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-adventures-1/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dreaming-of-the-dusky-track/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-dusky/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/moose-hunting/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose-2/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-in-fiordland/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/off-to-fiordland/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/shadowland-fiordland-video/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-best-toilet-view-in-the-world/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/10-days-in-fiordland/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-2009/ … Continued

I have been hiking in Fiordland NZ for ten days and have now returned ‘bowed but unbeaten.’ Met some great young people on the trail (and some not-so-great) and saw, as usual quite a lot of evidence for the continuing … Continued

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Every time he turns at Centre Pass to survey the magnificent view down the Seaforth Valley to the Fiord, he wonders will it be the last time he gazes on such a magnificent view? It is the last thing you … Continued